Abstract
Waterfowl pair and brood use of constructed wetlands was evaluated during 1980–81 on 4 Wildlife Management Areas in northwestern Minnesota. Weekly ground counts of waterfowl were made at each of 109 wetlands during the April to mid-July nesting season and correlated with physical, vegetative, and limnological characteristics. The number of pairs of the 10 most common waterfowl species using the wetlands was 338 in 1980 and 239 in 1981, of which blue-winged teal (Anas discors) made up nearly half. Ducks used the constructed wetlands primarily during late May and early June. Eighteen habitat components were significantly correlated with pair numbers of 1 or more duck species. Wetlands with larger surface area and longer shoreline length had greater pair use, by every duck species except gadwall (Anas strepera). Other physical parameters correlated with duck use included distance to nearby large impoundments, wetland density, and distance to nearest constructed wetland.
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Leschisin, D.A., Williams, G.L. & Weller, M.W. Factors affecting waterfowl use of constructed wetlands in northwestern Minnesota. Wetlands 12, 178–183 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03160607
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03160607